Marble game board



Nov. 13, 1951 -J. E. JONES 2,574,569

I MARBLE GAME'BOARD Filed Sept. 9 1948 v v 2 SHEETS--SI-EEZ'I' 1 56 a, n 1a 5 "JUL; Hm,

FIG. .5

. James 1 Ton INVENTOR, a

ATTORNEY I I BY Nov. 13, 1951 E. JONES 2,574,569

MARBLE GAME BOARD Filed Sept. 9, 1948 2 SHEETS--SHEET 2 4 Juries 5. Jones INVENTOR,

ATTORN EY Patented Nov. 13, 1951 UNITED STATES; PATENT OFFICE MARBLE GAME BOARD James E. Jones, Oklahoma City, Okla.

Application September 9, 1948, Serial No. 48,354

3 Claims. (01. 273-119) The present invention relates to game boards. and more particularly to game paraphernalia wherein a. marble is projected along a playing surface provided with deflectors and other hazards, and finally comes to rest within some one of a plurality of scoring pockets, slots, or other nesting points.

The prime object of the invention is to provide an inexpensiv light weight game board of this class, whereon a simulated game of base ball may be played.

A further object is to provide a simple game apparatus which includes: a ball projecting mechanism or "shooter; a hazard course; scoring stations; a counting field: and a storage bin for the balls and the counters.

Another object is to provide a game apparatus of this class wherein the course of the ball from the projector to the scoring stations is controllable by the player, only by the speed of projection.

Other objects will be apparent from the following description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying two sheets of drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the device with its two lids in closed positions;

Figure 2 is a similar view with the lids open, and with parts broken away to reveal interior structure;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary top view of the scoring end portion of the device, with an imaginary ball path being shown in dotted lines;

. Figure 4 is a vertical sectional view taken substantially along the line 44 of Fig. 2.

Figure 5 is a vertical sectional view taken substantially along section line 5-5 of Figure 2.

Like characters of reference designate like parts in those figures of the drawings in which they occur. In the drawings:

The reference numeral I indicates, as a whole, a substantially rectangular open topped box, the major portion of which has a fiat bottom or floor 2. The box I further includes: two vertical side walls 3 and 4 which are parallel to each other; and two vertical end walls 5 and 6 which respectively connect the rear and front ends of the walls 3 and 4.

The right hand side portion of the floor 2 is provided with an elongated vertical partition I which extends from the front wall 6 to a point somewhat adjacent, but not reaching, the rear end wall 5, and which lies spaced from and parallel with the right hand side wall 4. The partition. I and the side wall 4 complementally form an elongated ball conveying channel or chute, or runway, and this runway is covered by a top or roof 8.

At the forward end of the runway, the front wall 6 is through bored to slidably receive a spring loaded ball shooting plunger 9 has an enlarged head I0, and a helical expansion spring I I surrounds the plunger between the head and a guide collar I2 which is attached to the floor in front of the wall 6, so that the head is normally urged toward the rear end of its throw. The forward end of the plunger 9 is provided with an enlargement I3 whereby it may be manually pulled forwardly against the action of the spring II.

The partition I has an opening I4 whereby a.

ball or marble I5 may be inserted into the channel. The ball may be discharged rearwardly along the channel by retrieving and suddenly releasing the plunger 9. It is pointed out that the floor 2 is slanted slightly downward toward the front end of the device, so that the ball in the channel will follow the head I0 forwardly as the plunger is retrieved, in that direction.

Spaced from and parallel with the vertical rear wall 5, is a vertical partition I6 having its right hand end united with the rearmost end of the partition I. Spaced to the left hand of and parallel with the rear portion of the partition I, is a vertical partition I'I having its rearmost end united with the left hand end of the partition I6.

A transverse vertical partition I8 extends between, and is united with, the front end of the partition I I and the Side of the partition 1. Another transverse partition I9 extends between the adjacent faces of the partitions I1 and 1,

and has its ends rigidly connected thereto.

'Between the end wall 5 and the transverse partition I6, there is a floor 20 which slopes downwardly from the wall4 to a point substanto the left hand wall 3 of the box I.

its rear edge is higher than its front edge, or in other words, the surface 2| slopes downwardly toward the front of the box I. The surface 2I has a plurality of spaced upwardly projecting ribs 22 which extend longitudinally of the box I.

Directly in front of the forward edge of the floor 2 I, there is provided a forward and downwardly sloping surface 23 having a plurality of laterally spaced longitudinally extending ribs 24 which form slots along which the ball may gravitate. The front end of the surface 23 lies somewhat below the level of the floor 2.

A vertical barrier 25 having wicket opening 26 is provided across the sloping surface 23. Each wicket of the barrier 25 may be marked with indicia not shown, representing a score or condition encountered. in the game ofabase'ball, for instance "one base hit, struck out, Home run, etc. The surface 23, ribs 24, and barrier 25 may well be called the scoring station or stations.

When a ball is discharged along the channel,

it is turned in its course so that "it must" travel along the surface 20 toward,theyribbedgsurface 2 I. To insure this turning of the ball, an arcuate block or fillet 33 is provided in the cornerformed by the meeting of the two walls 4 and 5.

.ilnzorder :toslow the speed of. the.ball,; and also sta -make its-:final speed;.unpredictable, theiforward face of the rear wall ibis-providedwith :rspaced: apart-vertically extending. cleats 21. A :similarrcleat281 is-siprovided on the rearface of :tthenpantition: I 6, andtthe "cleatx'28 is positioned ;:laterally: so: that: it resides substantially equidisitant'lyt; fromzt eacht ofzthe" cleats 'Z'l. The cleats 2 and: 2 3.:have laterally slanting surfaces which ctend'totth-row the ballfrom one side to'the other :of: the :surface 20. Any :desired. plurality. of the rc-leats 2lrand-z2llrmay be provided.

izT-heffiring: channel; the slanting surface 20,-.the Ccleats Zl-elll, :the sloping surface 2| 'with its .ribsz22;andtthesrearmost-ends:of 'the ribs 24,

:might zwell ':bemtermed as the hazard r course :.of thexdevice.

-'I;he-counting:-field: ofiithe device is indicated, sas aawhole,:by the reference numeral 3 l, and con- .i'sists:substantiallyuofzthat portion of the floor 3.2a WhiChEiSTDOt partitioned off by the partitions 7,. "sand? l8. The counting fieldfhas indicia 32' thereon, representing abaseball diamond and cplayingtfleld i therearound.

ZOf;-.course,;the indicia 32 and the scoring-in :dicia onztheibarriers25 might wellsbe altered to v isimulate-isomeaactiyity other: than .base ball, for finstance; the indicia=32 could well-represent an :oval race '1' track 'With distance markings disitribU-tdtherealong. In such case, the indicia on thenbarrierl 2 5";W0ll1d be made" toindicate terms .:of lhOrSE}. racing; for instance; numbers of yards, disqualified.-or some certain numberiof yards ?.-fahea'd: .of: the: fieldf; etc.

Irln playingia game with :the above described apparatuasmovable:markers or fmen may be ..used-,for countin The two rooms or-fc'ells =formed-.bythe;partitions], I6,-ll, I8 and l9- are used. tostore .the men and marbles with which the; game; "is played.

i-AEhinged lid33 is: provided to-cover the" rear portion-of,theidevice, andaremovable or liftable llld 34-.(Flig.:2) is provided for covering the;forward cell. :InsFiig; l, the lids 33 and 34 are shown closed positions. v

.JItalSfihOllghtthElt'the mode ofoperation of r-the deviceszwill be apparent to any one interested r in games.

.Obviouslythe invention is susceptible to some change or alteration without defeating its practicability, and I therefore do not wish to be confined to the preferred embodiment shown in the drawings and described herein, further than I 5 am limited by the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a game apparatus, the combination with a chute for guiding the rolling travel of a ball,

and with a shooter in one end of the chute, of a 10 hazard:coursevupon which the ball is projected from the discharge end of said chute, said haz- ..a1'd course including: a downwardly sloping channel extending laterally from said discharge aendaarid through which the ball must pass; de-

.15 fleeting members on the walls of said channel for retarding but not stopping the forward move- :mentofitheball; .a floor surface upon which the ballis discharged from said channel, said surface sloping downwardly from said channel at right angles thereto; spaced vertically projecting "ribs on -said fioor surface at right 'angles -to the path'Of theball for retarding the ball-in its travel, "and over which the ball mayroll;: a plurality of downwardly sloping ball receiving slots aligned with the-spaces between said ribs, andany one -01? 'whichmay receive-and retain the ball for scoring purposes.

"2,=Structure as specified in claim 1, and a "countingfield at the endsof said slots and upon -which counters may be moved to indicate scores made by the ball.

3.;I-n' agame apparatus: a ball guiding chute having-a ball receivingend and an open ball discharge end; a manuallyoperated ball shooter "at the 'receiving'end ofthe' chute; a-hazard course upon which the ball is-discharged from the-chute; afloor for said course sloping down- ;wardly' from the discharge-end of the chute at right angles thereto, said floor tilted laterally towardthereceiving end of the chute; deflecting members on the walls of said course; transversely pcsitioned vertically projecting ribs on said floor for retarding the ball in its downward travel, 'and over which the ball may roll; and a plurality 43 of downwardly sloping ball receiving scoring slots --aligned-w'ith the spaces between said ribs, the slope of said slots being complemental to the lateral tiltof the floor of said hazard course, any -one of said slots adapted to receive the ball and retain the same for scoring purposes.

JAMES E. JONES.

The'following references are of record. in the -flle .ofthis. patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date "846,655 "Falvey Mar. 12, 1907 to 1,966,862 Keeney July 17, 1934 1 ,924,199 Swenson Sept. 18, 1934 1.9%;644. -Maynard Dec. 4, 1934 :2g239/l46 .Mathewson Apr. 22, 1941 152,252,451 gAnderson Aug.,12, 1941 22354965 Johnson Nov. 16, 1948 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date .43 5,553 .Great Britain Sept. 19, 1935 

